Abdominal supporter and truss.



B. F. LACY.

ABDOMINAL SUPPORTBR AND TRUSS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 190a.

Q/Vil'neaaco ml nomus I'IYIIICA, wAsuINcrON. A:

PATENTED MAY 12, 1908.

BENJAMIN F. LAOY, OF PEKIN, ILLINOIS.

ABDOMINAL SUPPORTER AND TRUSS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Application filed September 5, 1906. Serial No. 333,370.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. LACY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pekin, in the county of T azewell and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Abdominal Supporters and Trusses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved construction of abdominal supporter and truss and has special reference to certain improvements in that type of supporters disclosed and covered in my former patents Nos. 795,624 and 795,625, both dated July 25, 1905.

To this end the invention primarily contemplates novel construction of spring wire supporter frame in connection. with improved means for holding the same upon the ody and varying the pressure thereof whereby the supporter and truss can be readily adjusted to adapt itself to any case and at the same time possesses means for securely holding the hernia and supporting the abdomen through the application of any amount of pressure necessary for the particular case.

' A further object of the invention is to generally improve the supporter and truss shown in my former patents and to provide a wellfitting, easily worn and thoroughly efficient truss.

With these and other objects in View which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

The essential features of the invention, involved in carrying out the object above specified, are necessarily susceptible to some structural modification without departing from the scope of the invention, but a preferred embodiment thereof is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fi ure 1 is a perspective view of a combined abdominal supporting truss con structed in accordance with this invention and showing the various parts in the position which they occupy when attached to the body. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the wire supporter frame stripped of its attachments and showing one of the pressure belt connections.

Like references designate corresponding parts in the separate figures of the drawings.

In carrying out the improvements con' templated by the present invention no special change is contemplated in the attachment or adjustment of the individual front pads carried by the supporter frame, and therefore any improved form of pad attachment may be utilized though preferably the pad mountings are similar to the pad mountings shown in my former patents aforesaid.

However, the invention does involve a material change in the structural form of the supporter frame and the manner of applying pressure thereto, and referring to the drawings, it will be observed that the spring wire supporter frame designated in its entirety by the num era]. 1, is formed of a single len th of spring wire of suitable gage and resiliency. The spring wire frame is preferably formed at the front thereof with an approximately upright W shaped pad section 2, upon the side leg or ortion of which are mounted the oppositey located inclined truss pads 3, in substantially the manner shown in my former patent No. 795,625.

Moreover, in carrying out the invention, particularly as an abdominal supporter, the spring wire supporter frame 1, may be provided contiguous to the side legs of the pad section 2, with the spring coils 4, (as shown in Fig. 2) which not only add to the resiliency of the frame but also provide for the attach- -ment thereto of the abdominal supporter covering disclosed in my former patent No. 772,105, dated Oct. 11, 1904. Or the said spring coils may be utilized. for the connection thereto of the opposite ends of the suplemental front belt such as disclosed in my former patent No. 795,624 aforesaid. VVithout regard to the features above referred to, the spring wire supporter frame is formed at opposite sides with the curved body encircling bands 5, extending about the sides of the body and projecting to the rear of the wearer. The rear extremity of each body encircling band 5 of the spring wire supporter frame is formed with an angularly bent, downwardly projecting lever arm 6, provided at its lower end with an engaging hook 7, adapted to beg' engaged by the metal eye plate 8, riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the outer side of a posterior ad 9, formed upon or secured to the rear ent of a pressure belt section 10. It will thus be seen that each of the lever arms 6, has a pressure belt connection therewith, and by referring to the drawings it will be noted that these separate belt sections are reversely arranged. That is, the belt connected with the lever arm of the band at one side of the body passes from the rear to the front of the body around the opposite side of the body so that when the front ends of the two belt sections are connected together and drawn u on the rear lever arms are drawn toward eac other with the result of tightening the supporter frame about the body and also placing pressure upon the pads.

The front ends of the oppositely arranged belt sections may be connected together in any suitable manner but preferably through the medium of an adjustable hook buckle preferably consisting of the hook and eye sec' tions 11 and 12, which are res ectively secured to and adjustable upon tlie front end portion of the separate belt sections 10.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the disclosure of the several former patents aforesaid, it is thought that the construction, action and the advantages of the herein described supporter and truss, will be apparent without further description.

claim:

A supporter and truss comprising a spring wire supporter frame having a front pad carrying section and body encircling bands provided at their rear ends with downwardly projecting shouldered lever arms formed with vertically disposed engaging hooks, plate elements pivotally mounted on said hooks and turning on a vertical axis, posterior pads mounted on said pivotal plate elements, and a pair of pressure belts arranged the same being independently connected to one of the posterior pads.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses. BENJAMIN F. LACY. Witnesses:

Lo'r BERGSTRESSE, JAMES I-IAINES. 

